The Rivers State Ministry of Health has confirmed a recent outbreak of Lassa fever within the state.
According to Dr. Adaeze Oreh, the state’s Commissioner for Health, the outbreak has resulted in the death of one individual.
One case was confirmed posthumously, while the other three patients have received treatment and have since been discharged to rejoin their families.
Oreh stated, “Out of the 42 suspected cases, 31 are identified as symptomatic high-risk contacts to the confirmed cases.
A total of 72 contacts have been under surveillance, with 30 already completing the mandatory incubation period and exiting the follow-up scheme.
Another 42 are scheduled to complete their monitoring by February 26th.
Additionally, all 18 high-risk contacts received preventive therapeutics and are progressing well.
While 27 samples have tested negative, results for the remaining eleven suspected cases are pending.”
A collaborative effort involving the State Ministry of Health, the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, the Niger Centre for Disease Control, and various stakeholders from multidisciplinary and multisectoral public health emergency operation centers, including the World Health Organization, is diligently working to ensure the protection of lives during this outbreak.
We are fully committed to containing this outbreak expeditiously, and the government has responded decisively to this challenge.
All healthcare facilities are urged to implement robust surveillance systems for all patients and adhere strictly to standard infection prevention protocols.
It is essential to cover food and water to prevent contamination by rodents, store grains and other food items in rodent-proof containers, dispose of waste properly, and maintain clean households and environments, among other measures.
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